Chapters:

On the fringes of the Rah solar system a small personal freighter
arched its way through the mine-like asteroid belt to slowly line
itself up with the illuminating light of the red star, inside a
young girl stared through the multiple view screens at the
distant planets of the Rah system considering all aspects of the
life she hoped to gain from the system, staring aimlessly at
planets she thought.

The 4 planets circled the red star ominously, each a world to
many and home to few, comets streaked past on their course for
their distant beyond showering the system with their radiance but
not as magnificent as the crown planet New Rah.

New Rah was a fine pearl few and far between in a sea of
galaxy-wide distress; its great spires pierced the heavens while
the luxuriant ecosystem was virtually unharmed by the light
ambience of the cities and districts. Animals and Men coexisted
peacefully to bring the inhabitants of New Rah their very own
paradise.

It was an old fairy tale.

The real Rah was a planet no different than its neighbouring
sisters, a grime infested cesspool with no hope for those
dwelling there, the once peaceful ecosystem rebelled and revolted
panic spread and with panic disaster soon followed. The great
spires pierced the heavens in the vain attempts to hide the
truth, to shy others away from the truth it clutches within
itself. It was not unusual or uncommon, more like a cruel fact
the plagued the galaxy.

Hope, trust, love and many other virtues were sundered into ash
when they came, it was like peace was a concept no longer
understood. All were affected and none escaped.

New Rah and its nearby systems were not spared...no one was,
there was no discrimination just cold-blooded ruthlessness.

The thought hung heavy on Millie-an earthen name she took up-as
many other thoughts came and went, focus was never one of her
strong points so she desperately scanned each view screen for her
destination a hint or sign she was on the right track because
this was the last leg, everything she had was nearly exhausted
and it was not difficult to know what will happen if she didn't
find Gondoris, but the last sprinkles of hope rained on her as
alert signs and klaxons flared to life and screamed away,
instantly multiple holo-screens and 3D visuals popped-up with
Gondoris in full view.

Gondoris was a gargantuan sized space station.

A flying planet, as some refer to it, Gondoris was one of a kind,
a space station that housed millions of people, a home for those
with none. Drifting in the emptiness of space with massive solar
sails and revolving disks around its aft sections it raced at and
incredibly slow pace, creeping out from behind the red star.

It glided along the vastness of the space powered by several
giant rotating discs running along its long glass midsection that
never broke the unison of their rotation, purple sails lined the
prow of the station reflecting the myriads of light emanating
from its body in all directions as if beckoning for someone to
notice its magnificence. Glass domes protruded from the rear
mimicking planet wide atmosphere, temperature, pressure and even
rainfall before sharply arching downwards ending in an egg shaped
ball peppered by a multitude of tiny arrays, sensors and darts
facing every direction possible.

There it is! , the words rung through her mind as a wave of
relief washed over her, now that her goal was in sight and her
purpose clear Millie jumped into life and action.

Her exhaustion dissipated and her mind was clear, fingers raced
to the controls of her ship switching off the sirens and klaxons
Millie set her ship on a straight course for Gondoris and punched
the engine drive to full throttle.

The personal Star ship shifted slowly to adapt to its new course
then shot off like a bullet across the vacuum of space out
running the nearest comet, the Star ship whined and groaned at
the sudden intense acceleration and even in the deck Millie could
feel the strain but thankfully the ship compensated and soon the
groaning eased itself into a low quiet hiss. The view screens
closed up and the cockpit was sealed shut by the screen gates,
ETA wasn't until 7 hours at current speed but she knew that her
ship couldn't maintain that speed for the full journey but it
doesn't matter now, Gondoris was within her sights and she will
get there no matter what...it was only a matter of time.

So she simply slept to pass the time, no use pondering needless
details and philosophy.

Right now sleep is what's needed for those deprived of it.

Cycle 2

Across the vastness of the Rah system another ship, unwanted, let
itself in and hid on the fringes on the other side, its massive
hull coming to a slow halt staring down at the still bigger form
of Gondoris, held within it the self appointed Liberator of Rah,
Devon'Rhos.

It was chaos aboard the vast vessel, the battle cruiser unwanted
thought it was had itself been host to unwanted visitors, deep
within the chambers and open corridors two men ran fast and hard.

One a tall, lithe and skinny creature ran slightly behind the
other fighting for breath that never really came while the other
ran without pause or even the slightest sense of fatigue, he ran,
ducked and weaved his way through the maze of a ship they both
were in when they came to a small archway with a small underpass
on either side and a dead end right in their faces.

"Drake a dead end" the lithe alien blurted out exhaustion and
fear tinged in his voice

"Not quite" he replied confidently, then walking purposefully to
the dead end he placed his gauntleted hand on the cold red steel
of the wall apparently searching for something that wasn't there.

A few minutes passed.

Tension sparked across the air, the lithe alien paced up and down
as the rumbling of heavy armoured footsteps echoed more loudly
with each minute.

"Drake! What are you searching for here!? Let us turn back..."

"Quiet Rin" the cold slow reply ran down the spine of Rin, he
stepped back unsure of where his fear is coming from, the
pursuers or the Arcani standing in front of him.

"This wall, its hollow, there is something behind it." Drake said
calmly, his hand stopped steadily and began to push.

Muscles tensed and the air fell still as Drake continued to push
harder and harder with each second, Rin watched on mesmerised by
the Arcani strength, mettle and alloyed steel buckled and moaned
under the intense pressure, one thing was certain, one would
break first either the alloyed steel or Drake's hand.

It was the steel that lost.

With a thunderous crash the wall caved in and crumpled with pain
flying a few feet backwards into an open cross-road. The large
space was filled with dust that danced in the air painting the
room in an endless stream of black and white, the floor was a
giant mosaic of a hero standing proud and aloof, staring deep
into the eyes of it onlookers.

Drake walked cautiously in, his eyes hidden behind goggles darted
back and forth from every crevice and area not fully lit up by
the dust, Rin walked in not far behind him apparently just as
cautious.

"Drake, Rin looks like you two truly are impossible to hold on
to, but it is best that you stay...for your own good" the voice
echoed throughout the cross-road, a deep innocent tone yet every
bit the killer Drake knew him to be.

"Nah, I've got some business to finish up with" Drake replied,
utterly calm.

"YOUR! Business is here with me" the voice was louder this time.

"Why don't you stop hiding in the darkness!" an evil smile played
across the Arcani's face "I still owe you one from the City of
Iron"

A grating laughter plagued the room, Drake looked across hoping
to see something that wasn't there.

Footsteps echoed throughout, then from the darkness a tall
silhouette came into sight, Drake continued to smile unnaturally
sharp canines' almost predatory like bared themselves against the
dark silhouette.

"So Drake, looks like you remember...if not only fragments" the
full figure of Devon'Rhos was now before them, a tall powerful
alien with deep blue eyes his robes flowed effortlessly across
his shoulders, muscles tensed and ready he walked arrogantly at
Drake with a certain surety of the outcome.

"Not much to remember" Drake walked towards him, almost meeting
the challenge like two alpha predators ready to fight to the
death.

"There is, and I can help you IF you stay with me"

"And if I don't want to remember?"

"Of course, always with the stubborn attitude, like a true
Arcani. You do your doomed race proud" the reply was laced with
every bit the venom Drake expected, but not with what he sought.

"Drake let's get out of here, before the rest of these zealots
get to us" Rin pleaded desperately but it was too late, two
armoured behemoths crashed through the broken wall widening it in
the process and destroying part of the mosaic with each step.

Even with the spectacular entrance of the two giants it did
nothing to faze the two battle ready predators.

Now they were right up to each other, Devon'Rhos a good head
taller than Drake looked down into the jet black goggles and in
turn Drake met his gaze with his own.

If the eyes of men had the ability to kill, well, a single round
of decapitation would see both put down with the glare of
predators.

With a calm strange like the sea Drake said to Rhos "Why don't
you pack your mutilated toys and get out of my way!" only to be
met by his continuous glare.

"Like I said, you have to stay for your..." but before Rhos could
finish Drake boorishly interrupted him

"For what! My benefit? I think you're mistaken...or maybe you
didn't understand me before. Get out of my way or I might just be
inclined to prove how much I can make my doomed race proud by
breaking you right here."

Devon'Rhos looked on at him, there was nothing he could do to
keep the Arcani on the ship so he simply stepped aside.

Rin breathed a long sigh of relief; the situation was
miraculously resolved without any conflict, a little too good to
be true but you take what you get. The Iron Behemoths flexed and
jerked uncontrollably as the fusion of man and machine brain
struggled to comprehend the situation.

Drake walked on past Rhos not looking back and Rin was thankful
for that as he too rushed past him trembling slightly from
anxiety, then the worst possible outcome took place.

"Drake" Rhos called out to him "Is it true that the leader of
Brotherhood once risked his life to save a young Serianite girl
in the City of Iron?" Drake stopped "Apparently he suffered a
serious case of amnesia and is currently running wild in the
Galaxy to make up for his pathetic failure to protect her...quite
saddening really"

The words drove home deep within Drake like the sharpened edge of
a surgical blade tinged with mockery, Rin stopped breathing and
instantly knew what was coming.

Drake turned around slowly, purposefully, his goggles slid down
his face and rested on his neck to reveal his eyes, the only of
its type; pupils and irises abnormally white and clear, retina
black as the pitched space.

His eyes portrayed his inner cold and his words came out like the
frost in the winter blizzard

"Devon'Rhos...you've signed a death wish"

The room soon became a battlefield.

Rin ducked straight to the dark corners of the room, fear
propelling his very thoughts and movements, Drake on the other
hand moved with unnatural speed. Darting straight past Rhos in a
black haze he stopped right before the first Behemoth and looked
into its swollen eyes.

The Behemoths jerky movements struggled to keep up with the
speeding Arcani, it flailed its thick-muscled arms randomly but
each potential hit was swiftly dodged.

Moving suddenly Drake hung low from the Behemoth hand tightly
gripped on the stressed red skinned neck and swung around in a
circular arc around the Behemoths neck landing on the back of the
metal monster, still holding tightly with one hand he drew back
his long sleeve and revealed the gun-metal black gauntlets.

Spiked fingers and fiendishly hooked knuckles were poised in the
air momentarily, Rhos' eyes widened in realisation but he was too
far away to make a difference, the speed at which it all happened
was astounding at the least to the point where even the other
Iron Behemoth that was no more than 7 metres away couldn't react
fast enough to prevent the inevitable.

The black gauntlets pierced through the dense, muscular neck of
the Iron Behemoth and went straight through the skull before
finally popping out, with a revolting crack in, the visor.

The Behemoth fell to the floor.

The silence was deafening.

Drake stood up slowly, pulling his bloodied hand from the
Behemoth and turned to Rhos, seeing that a fellow kin was felled
the other Behemoth roared in rage.

Charging like an enraged bull the Behemoth went straight for the
kill, Drake spun effortlessly on the spot ducking the pipe-like
arms aimed for his head all the while pulling out a long jet
black handgun from his back pouch.

Training it at the hidden face of the Behemoth he fired, twice.

The first plasma coated bullet smashed into the visor utterly
melting it away along with the metal while the second found its
mark in the face of the towering monster. The plasma burnt the
already mutilated face as the solid bullet punched clean through
the skull.

It all happened in, an almost pre-planned, motion.

Rhos looked on, an emotion ran down him, he hadn't felt it in
years and soon found himself taking small yet large steps back.
What was before him was no doubt the son of Kain, an incarnation
of the long gone genocidal Arcani leader.

Drake turned to face him and Devon'Rhos felt helpless before the
endless gaze of those eyes, they searched his very core and found
fear in him.

Lost in his emotions Rhos never realised when Drake left, or when
Rin left he just stood there

"So, this is what you've become 5 years on, Kayera...be careful"
he whispered to himself.

The Lonely Home crawled across the Rah system, on-board
were two aliens, both silent as the Star ship drifted with no
assigned course. Inside the large main room was empty with no
source of action, everything was still. Rin was unusually
anxious, he tried to remain calm by twiddling his multi-jointed
fingers in endless positions but found no respite he had to break
the silence.

"What now?" He asked, an open question

Drake was lying down on one of the six hard-mat beds, arms
crossed behind his head and totally relaxed. Lifting one eyelid
slightly he looked at Rin and replied

"Who knows?"

Rin was taken aback by the callous reply

"What do you mean 'Who Knows', Devon'Rhos is sure to come after
us and with our reputation no doubt bounty hunters!"

"My reputation" Drake said almost proudly

"Does it matter!? The fact remains we have no clear plan for the
future and it is imperative that things are thought through now
that we have this opportunity of quiet." Rin's voice reverberated
around the metallic walls of the Star ship.

Drake fully opened one eyelid to look at him and simply said

"Don't worry about it, Rhos won't come after us anytime soon and
with everything the way it is now a band of outcasts like us are
the least of the galaxy's problems."

Under his breath Rin replied "I wish I could believe that"

Drake now got up to look at Rin

"Look, I know it seems bad now but I've got everything planned
out to an extent" Drake stopped to make sure Rin was listening to
him "Wanna hear it?"

Rin nodded fully listening.

"Firstly, what do you know about the relations between the
current Lords of Oz'Sharra?"

Rin was slightly puzzled "Sour at best, I guess"

Drake laughed out loud further puzzling the young alien "C'mon
you're smarter than this" tapping Rin on his head he continued "A
3 year old can say that, I'm looking for a deeper answer"

Rin thought for a moment, it was a surprisingly hard question to
describe relations in the Lords of Oz'Sharra fully, what used to
be an honourable correlation of the 3 greatest races at the time
is now a political network of dishonesty, corruption and
high-minded zealots.

"Well considering the rise of the Needo Alliance in recent years,
and the rapid downfall of the Arcani the Lords are in dire
straits and this is having a ripple effect on the rest of the
Galaxy." Rin looked to Drake and carried on "The 3 shadow wars,
death of the Grand Master, deaths and disappearance of 2 out of 3
of the supreme counsellors the Arcani are a mess, their hierarchy
has been demolished way beyond repair at this point and with them
controlling 60 % of the galaxy all of us are feeling the strain.
Especially with people taking pot-shots at Arcani borders and
archaeological ruins things are becoming tense but no one takes a
bigger pot-shot than the Needo WO and their Needo Alliance.
Constantly harassing the Arcani politically and militarily
they've become candidates for Lordship but everyone knows it was
through their close ties with the GFI and if they wanted to the
Arcani can wipe them of the star maps like nothing"

"But why don't they?" Drake asked

"Well who knows? It seems like the Arcani don't want to overstep
their borders as if they're protecting something but again who
knows. Their strict control of in and out information and
Galaxy-Gate use means that us the general society are left in the
dark."

Drake smiled satisfied with Rin's answer this time "Exactly my
friend" Drake got up from the bed and walked over to Pilots
Interface.

"For now let's leave it at that, what we need is to get to
Gondoris"

"How are we going to do that?" Rin asked

Drake looked around the holographic image of the Rah system,
given their reputation simply flying into the hanger would never
work, they need a diversion or disguise.

"There" Pointing at a small ship travelling at speed to Gondoris
"We'll just hitch a ride with whoever they are."

Rin walked over to see exactly what Drake meant, a Personal Space
Ship of relatively small size, maximum crew size of 4 the ship
would reach Gondoris in just about 6 hours at constant speed.

"And you're expecting them to willingly help us?" Rin
asked almost sarcastically

Drake replied "I don't, I'm just hoping that it will be a meeting
of minds.